4 ms·

The comments are gold. I always thought flat earthers were thought up by the government to discredit believers in real conspiracies (like the 9-11 inside job).

The comments are gold. I always thought flat earthers were thought up by the government to discredit believers in real conspiracies (like the 9-11 inside job). Seems like flat earthers are either real or the government is doubling down on sock puppets feeling that this discrediting is very necessary.

notahacker 9y ago
I think the flat earthers are just trolls who find it amusing. You've got entire subreddits dedicated to the "Finland does not exist" conspiracy too, which was conceived as a joke. I think the majority of 9/11 conspiracy theorists do a perfectly good job of discrediting themselves without needing to be associated with even dafter ideas. (Certainly people distracting from legitimate questions about use of intelligence and response times with obviously batshit theories about missiles and demolition charges in WTC7 are doing the government a service, but I don't think they're being paid for it)
- deleted 9y ago
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sandworm101 9y ago
Oh they are very real. I've met a few. I had expected that they would be elderly nutters like the Apollo deniers. But was I got was self-centred young people. They place their own perceptions above all others, not accepting the word of any "scientist" or "doctor". It really is amazing to witness an intelligent and thoughtful person build their own fantasy world of conspiracies and shadow enemies. It's like going to a book reading by Tolkien only to realize he is carrying a real sword and expects orcs to pop out of the audience. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/28/kyrie-irvings-flat-earth-beliefs-now-the-bane-of-middle-school-teachers/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/28...
- pwython 9y ago
  > It really is amazing to witness an intelligent and thoughtful person build their own fantasy... When it comes to the vocal conspiracy theorists you see online, I think they really get a kick out of believing that they're just smarter than everyone else. "Everyone else" being the 99% of the population who they label as "sheep" because they agree with science or facts that are "too obvious." The other spectrum of conspiracy theorists however, may just really want to believe in their fantasy world.
  - sandworm101 9y ago
    It goes two ways. Some of them call us sheep for following the obvious and themselves follow the ridiculously complex. Those are the traditional conspiracy theorists. Others deny the complex and instead believe only simple explanations based on their own perceptions. That's where I draw the line between oldschool theorists and modern theorists. The oldschool theorist believes in a complex government conspiracy hiding behind a veil of secrecy (the black helicopter crowd of the 90s). The modern theorist dismisses a complex theory based such as climate change in favour of their own perceptions ("I'm cold"). The former believes the world to be run be evil geniuses. The later by idiots.

notahacker 9y ago

I think the flat earthers are just trolls who find it amusing. You've got entire subreddits dedicated to the "Finland does not exist" conspiracy too, which was conceived as a joke. I think the majority of 9/11 conspiracy theorists do a perfectly good job of discrediting themselves without needing to be associated with even dafter ideas. (Certainly people distracting from legitimate questions about use of intelligence and response times with obviously batshit theories about missiles and demolition charges in WTC7 are doing the government a service, but I don't think they're being paid for it)

deleted 9y ago
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sandworm101 9y ago

Oh they are very real. I've met a few. I had expected that they would be elderly nutters like the Apollo deniers. But was I got was self-centred young people. They place their own perceptions above all others, not accepting the word of any "scientist" or "doctor". It really is amazing to witness an intelligent and thoughtful person build their own fantasy world of conspiracies and shadow enemies. It's like going to a book reading by Tolkien only to realize he is carrying a real sword and expects orcs to pop out of the audience. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/28/kyrie-irvings-flat-earth-beliefs-now-the-bane-of-middle-school-teachers/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/28...

pwython 9y ago
> It really is amazing to witness an intelligent and thoughtful person build their own fantasy... When it comes to the vocal conspiracy theorists you see online, I think they really get a kick out of believing that they're just smarter than everyone else. "Everyone else" being the 99% of the population who they label as "sheep" because they agree with science or facts that are "too obvious." The other spectrum of conspiracy theorists however, may just really want to believe in their fantasy world.
- sandworm101 9y ago
  It goes two ways. Some of them call us sheep for following the obvious and themselves follow the ridiculously complex. Those are the traditional conspiracy theorists. Others deny the complex and instead believe only simple explanations based on their own perceptions. That's where I draw the line between oldschool theorists and modern theorists. The oldschool theorist believes in a complex government conspiracy hiding behind a veil of secrecy (the black helicopter crowd of the 90s). The modern theorist dismisses a complex theory based such as climate change in favour of their own perceptions ("I'm cold"). The former believes the world to be run be evil geniuses. The later by idiots.